Safety attachment for trunks or boxes.



- No. 699,790. Patented May l3, I902,

J. T. COLLINS.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR TRUNKS 0R BOXES.

(Application filed Aug. 27. 1901.]

(No Model.)

witnesses UnTTTnn @TATES PATENT @FFTCE.

JOHN T. COLLINS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR TRUNKS OR BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 699,790, dated May 13, 1902.

Application filed August 27, 1901- Serial No. 73,479. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN T. COLLINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Attachments for Trunks or Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those articles which are attached to trunks, boxes, bags, and the like receptacles to prevent them from breaking open.

The object is to provide an article of this nature which is inexpensive to construct, simple to attach, and easy to manipulate, so as to tightly bind the parts of the trunk or bag.

The attachment shown in the accompanying drawings has a strap that is rove through a binding-plate and is at one end permanently attached to a lever-plate and at the other end adjustably attachedto a loop-plate. The lever-plate has ears for temporarily holding the loop-plate and a lever for causing the engagement and disengagement of the ears and the loop-plate.

Figure 1 shows an end view of a trunk with the cover raised that is provided with a safety attachment which embodies the invention. Fig. 2is a perspective view of the bindingplate and the loop-plate. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lever-plate with the holding-ears and lever. Fig. 4 is an edge View of the lever-plate, showing the lever as engaging the loopplate for drawing the loop beneath the holding-ears; and Fig. 5 is an edge view showing the loop-plate held by the holding-ears, as when the parts are fastened together.

A lever-plate 1 may be formed of any desired metal with a loop 2 for the attachment of an end of the strap 3 and perforations 4: for fastening the plate to one member of a trunk, bag, or other receptacle. The ears 5, which project outwardly from the upper corners of the lever-plate, are somewhat undercut, as at 6, and are perforated for receiving the pivot 7 of the lever 8. The lever 8 has a finger end 9 anda curved loop-releasing end 10, that when the finger end is closed against the lever-plate lies between the ears.

The strap 3 may be of any desired material of suitable length. This strap is passed beneath bar 11, upwardly through the opening 12, over the bar 18, downwardly through the opening 14, and under the bar 15 of the binding-plate 16. This plate has perforations 17 for the fastening screws or rivets, and it is preferably provided with lugs 18, that when the plate is secured in position project over the corner of the member of the receptacle to which the plate is attached and relieve the fastening screws or rivets from strain. end of the strap is passed inwardly through the opening 19 and outwardly through the opening 20 in the plate 21, which has aloop 22,

that is adapted to receive the lever 8 and to be drawn over the ears 5 of the lever-plate.

The lever-plate is preferably attached to the front of the body of a trunk, and the binding-plate is attached to the top of the cover near the front edge. The strap when loose may be freely drawn through the hinding-plate. When the parts are in position, the strap is drawn through the binding-plate, so it will be tight before the cover of the trunk is closed. Then when the cover is forced down as the strap cannot slip through the binding-plate it is drawn very tight around the trunk from the lever-plate to the bindingplate. After the cover has been closed and the strap thus drawn tight the fastening-loop of the loop-plate, which has been properly adjusted on the free end of the strap, is thrust over the lever and the lever turned down, so as to draw the loop-plate over the ears that project from the lever-plate. As the lever is turned down the loop-plate is thrust into the undercut portions of the cars, so that the ears sustain all of the strain incident to the stretching of the strap.

With this attachment a trunk may be very tightly strapped and then the free end of the strap drawn down powerfully. When the lever is turned up, the curved detaching end forces the loop from the ears, allowing it to be disengaged.

The device is easily attached, simply manipulated, and quickly adjusted, so that any one can tightly bind a trunk, bag, or box. The parts are cheap to construct and readily assembled.

I claim as my invention 1. An attachment consisting of a plate bearing a lever, a binding-plate with open-- The free ings, a loop-plate having a loop adapted to receive the lever, and a flexible strap rove through the openings in the binding-plate and having one end attached to the leverplate and the other end attached to the loopplatc, substantially as specified.

2. An attachment consisting of aplate provided with outwardly-projecting ears which bear a lever, a binding-plate with openings, a loop-plate having aloop adapted to receive the lever and the ears so that the strain of the loop-plate will be resisted by the ears, and a flexible strap rove through the openings of the binding-plate and having one end attached to the lever-plate and the other end attached to the loop-plate, substantially as specified.

3. An attachment consisting of a plate bearing a lever, a binding-plate with openings and projecting lugs, a loop-plate having a .loop adapted to receive the lever, and a flexible strap rove through the openings of the binding-plate and having one end attached to the lever-plate and the other end attached to the loop-plate, substantially as specified.

4. An attachment consisting of a plate having outwardly-projecting ears with undercut edges, and bearinga lever with a curved detaching-lug, a binding-plate with openings,

a loop-plate with an opening adapted to re-' ceive the lever and the ears, and a flexible strap rove through the binding-plate and having one end attachedi to the lever-plate and the other end attached to the loop-plate, substantially as specified.

5. An attachment consisting of a plate having outwardly-projecting ears bearing a lever, a binding-plate having openings, a loopplate having openings, one of which is adapted to receivethe lever and the ears, and a flexible strap rove through the openings in the binding-plate and having one end attached to the lever-plate and the other end rove through openings of the loop-plate, substantially as specified.

6. An attachment consisting of a plate having outwardly-projecting ears with undercut edges, and bearing a lever, a loop-plate with an opening adapted to receive the lever and the ears so that the strain of the loop-plate will be resisted by the ears, and a flexible strap rove through the loop-plate and attached to the lever-plate, substantially as specified.

JOHN T. COLLIN S.

Witnesses:

H. R. WILLIAMS, V. R. HoLooMB. 

